#14 Ultra DNF at Cayuga 50

Most race recaps you hear are the highlight reel — the PRs, the podiums, the "everything clicked" days. This one isn't that.

In this episode, I walk through a 50-mile mountain ultra in Ithaca's gorge country that I'd trained hard for — the best shape I've been in in a decade — and the day it came apart anyway. I DNF'd at mile 35 with 7,200 feet of climbing already in my legs, then spent the night back at the hotel watching the clock, worried I was sliding into rhabdomyolysis.

I pull up my heart rate and elevation data and talk through exactly where it went sideways, why the descents (not the climbs) wrecked me, how I made the call to stop, and the dehydration and rhabdo scare that followed. As a PT, I also break down what rhabdo actually is and the warning signs every endurance athlete should know. If you've ever wondered whether quitting can be the disciplined choice, this one's for you.